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Barbados Royals Women defeated Trinbago Knight Riders Women by 28 runs in the 1st Match of Cricket West Indies’ Sixty Women’s Championship at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis yesterday.
The scores: Barbados Royals Women 108-4 off 10 overs, Trinbago Knight Riders Women 80-3 off 10 overs.
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Police are now investigating the death of a 52-year-old woman who was found in her house in Gambles shortly after 9:30am.
Investigators say they were called by neighbours who reported a foul smell coming from the house. There were no marks of violence.
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File photo.
Three Task Force police officers got into a car accident at Big Hole, Goodwood, Tobago, on Thursday night, while responding to a report about three men with guns in the Roxborough area.
Newsday learnt that two of the officers have since been discharged from the Scarborough General Hospital and sent on sick leave and the third officer has to see an orthopaedic specialist based in Trinidad.
In the meantime, she is expected to have a temporary cast put on her arm and will be discharged sometime today.
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File photo/Jeff Mayers
Matthew John, 36, of 36 Upper Bournes Road, St James, was shot and killed on Thursday night by unknown gunmen.
St James police responded to a report of gunshots at Bournes Road just after 8 pm. When they arrived they found a pool of blood and several spent shells.
Police learned that John and another unidentified man had been shot and had been taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital.
John died in hospital and the second victim is warded in a stable condition.
Investigations are ongoing.
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Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry Susan Rodrigues on Thursday lauded local banks for their efforts to approve mortgages for applicants at the Building Expo which was held back in July.
She said government is collaborating with banks to foster growth and development in the housing sector.
The Minister was the time speaking at the launch of Steel Buildings Guyana Inc’s pre fab homes under the umbrella of Hits and Jams, in Queenstown, Georgetown.
She singled out the National Building Society (NBS) for pre-qualifying over 500 persons. The financial institution has already approved 302 mortgages from July to date, amounting to over $2 billion.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) has approved 145 mortgages to the tune of $1.7 billion.
“Look at how many Guyanese are on their way to ownership. These are the facts. This is not just us speaking about delivering housing or delivering house lots or home ownership to people. These are actual figures from the banks.”
She noted further, that Guyanese ‘have the confidence of the economy’ and are taking advantage of the investment climate since banks have lowered their interest rates significantly.
Minister Rodrigues encouraged persons to take advantage of the banks’ low interest rates which will allow more people to own their homes.
“Now, you can access a low-income mortgage for as low as 3.8 per cent. It has never been that low before.”
The Minister praised the investments and partnership between the banks, ministry, and Guyanese to develop the housing sector.
“The bank is with the government on the ground to meet the people and providing the opportunities for you to access financing. So that you could own your own home. So, it is a partnership that we are investing in.”
Making brief remarks, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, reiterated that the government has allocated 15,000 house lots so far. Importantly, part of the ministry’s micro plan for the next five years is not only to allocate lands but to provide affordable homeownership.
He said the housing sector needs support, investment, and partnerships to thrive.
“As a necessity, we need partners which will obviously be part of the drive for innovations to ensure that we have growth and we will also help the tourism sector.”
Minister Croal alluded to the International Building Expo which has shown ‘new and exciting developments’. He said the expo provided the opportunity to engage existing, upcoming, and new stakeholders. The minister noted that everyone should take advantage of the opportunities to enhance the housing sector.
Importantly, Minister Rodrigues emphasised on the employment that Hits and Jams’ housing project will create for Guyanese.
Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, Charles Ramson; Technical Engineer of Light Gauge Guyana, Nicholas Belle; Staff from Citizens’ Bank; and Deputy Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Kamrul Baksh also attended the launch.
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Dear Editor,
The wisdom in the adage “Prevention is better than cure” is most timely to embrace at this time. I am saying this in regard to the Monkeypox disease that has now come upon Guyana. As was the levity of the populace when the COVID-19 struck, so may be the case with the Monkeypox, I fear.
Many in Guyana are taking a laid-back attitude. They even posit that Monkeypox is unlikely to cause a pandemic on the scale of COVID-19. However, we need to exercise medical sense, as the Monkeypox virus is still a force to be reckoned with, even though it is far more forgiving than that of the COVID-19, is less transmissible, and can be readily subdued by existing vaccines.
I see that Guyana is ready, as it is clear that planning has been ongoing. The news has it that “Monkeypox vaccines (are) due by September month end.” The Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, explained that “…the vaccines that protect against Monkeypox are in limited quantity globally. However, through an agreement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Guyana should receive some of these vaccines by the end of September.”
As I said, Guyana must not take any chance whatsoever. The mere fact that Government is putting in extra work to inoculate the vulnerable and infected people is enough reason for citizens to be cautious and cooperative.
Let us bear in mind, as the Minister pointed out, that indeed “There are very few medications that are currently available to treat the virus… (and currently) the United States is working on three different antiretrovirals that are in limited supply, and they are being used under emergency-use authorisation.”
However, what is good to note is that patients with Monkeypox are being treated based on their symptoms; that is, “The treatment for these persons when they get infected would be symptomatic; therefore, if they have fever, we’ll treat fever; if they have an enlarged lymph node, we’ll treat that,” the Minister detailed, and in all likelihood, patients’ recovery after treatment is realised within 14-21 days.
I posit here again the need to take all precautions, as, “Basically, monkeypox is transmitted from animals to humans. So, if there is an infected animal and a person comes in contact with them, it can get infected. So, that’s the first form of transmission.” “Simple…stay put in your corner if and when infected.”
I admonish all to be alert, as Monkeypox can become a national scourge that our healthcare providers and public health systems can very well be challenged with. So, with an aggressive, well-coordinated public-health campaign, we can be on top of the situation. As we learned from COVID-19, access to testing can mean the difference between a growing outbreak and a disease that can be promptly diagnosed, treated, and contained through isolation and contact tracing.
Stigma may also discourage people from coming forward. “Please be honest and compliant!”
Yours truly,H Singh
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Dear Editor,
I had to again read an interesting article by Dr David Hinds; captioned ‘The APNU+AFC Govt. and African Guyanese: After three years, no major Policy Initiative that targets Black Empowerment’, it appeared in the Kaieteur News of May 13th 2018.
In this article, Hinds admitted that even though the PNC, during its 28 years, initiated some projects which benefited Afro-Guyanese, those benefits were destroyed by the same PNC before they vacated office.
This trend of marginalisation of the Black people had continued during the next round of the PNC-dominated Coalition rule, from 2015 to 2020, and even though Dr Hinds tried to tie the PPP/C Government to this marginalisation agenda, he failed, since, from 1992 to 2015, Afro-Guyanese and all other Guyanese were living a far better standard of living than they did under the PNC.
Moreover, under this Government, from 2020 to now, there has been massive development in all Black populated areas, and all across Guyana. No area has been neglected in the President’s One Vision for Guyana.
Dr Hinds, in that article, made a revealing statement concerning the Coalition Government’s incompetence when he pointed out that “the average African Guyanese knows full well that after three years in office, this Government has not implemented a single policy initiative aimed at addressing the structural socio-economic problems of that community”.
Let us now compare this with what the PPP/C Government has done for Afro-Guyanese.During its tenure in office, the Coalition literally snatched bread from the mouths of each and every Guyanese; its own support base was not spared.
Today, billions in infrastructural and housing development works are taking place in Linden, Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Albouystown, Ithaca and Buxton, among other Afro-Guyanese communities nationwide. Thousands of jobs have been created by the PPP/C Government, and President Ali has unequivocally declared that it is his Government’s responsibility to provide jobs and a better standard of living for all Guyanese.
This is quite unlike what former President Granger had said. He had said, “There is no magic wand. The Government cannot provide jobs in the Government Service, in the Police Force, or in the Defence Force. Employment is not something to be provided by the Government.”
It would now seem that President Ali has the ‘magic wand’. There is more money in Afro-Guyanese pockets than ever before, and the same can be said for all Guyanese, who now are enjoying a better life.
However, when one reads about the hundreds of millions pumped into the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G), it is only then that Granger’s ‘magic wand’ can be seen at work, but not for the poor Afro-Guyanese. If there was ever a case of emerging apartheid in Guyana, it was under the Coalition Government, so the pro-PNC Cuffy 250 group is barking up the wrong tree.This Government has done for Afro-Guyanese in its two years what the PNC did in its 33 years in Government. History has testified to this, and the future will make this a lot more manifest as this Government continues to reach out and satisfy the needs of all Guyanese in an equitable and just manner.
The myth of Afro-Guyanese marginalisation by the PPP/C Government has no sales value. Let those who are trying to divide this nation understand that Guyanese will not fall for such Goebbels propaganda. History has attested that the PNC has marginalised its own people for more than 33 years.
Yours sincerely,Haseef Yusuf
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There have been one million COVID-19 deaths so far this year – a “tragic milestone” that must lead to more people being vaccinated against the disease, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on Thursday.
“We cannot say we are learning to live with COVID-19 when one million people have died with COVID-19 this year alone, when we are two-and-a-half years into the pandemic and have all the tools necessary to prevent these deaths,” said Tedros, speaking during his regular briefing from Geneva.
He again urged all governments to step up action to vaccinate all health workers, older persons, and others at highest risk, as part of efforts towards inoculating 70 per cent of the global population.
Progress for priority groups
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Tedros said he was pleased to see that some countries with the lowest vaccination rates are now gaining ground, especially in Africa.
In January, WHO and partners launched the COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, focused mainly on the 34 countries that were at or below 10 per cent coverage. All but six are on the continent.
Today, only 10 countries still have less than 10 per cent coverage, most of which are facing humanitarian emergencies.
Vaccinations still lagging
Although welcoming progress on coverage of high-priority groups, Tedros stressed that more must be done as one-third of the world’s population remains unvaccinated.
This includes two-thirds of health workers, and three-quarters of older persons in low-income countries.
“All countries at all income levels must do more to vaccinate those most at risk, to ensure access to life-saving therapeutics, to continue testing and sequencing, and to set tailored, proportionate policies to limit transmission and save lives. This is the best way to drive a truly sustainable recovery,” he said.
Monkeypox reversal
Meanwhile, intense Monkeypox transmission continues in the Americas region, although the number of cases globally fell by more than 20 per cent last week.
While most cases in the early stage of the outbreak were in Europe, with a smaller proportion in the Americas, the situation has now reversed.
Currently, less than 40 per cent of reported cases are in Europe and 60 per cent are in the Americas.
There are signs that the outbreak is slowing in Europe, Tedros reported, where a combination of effective public health measures, behaviour change, and vaccination, are helping to prevent transmission.
“However, in Latin America in particular, insufficient awareness or public health measures are combining with a lack of access to vaccines to fan the flames of the outbreak,” he said.
Tedros thanked vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic, which on Wednesday signed an agreement with WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas to support access to its Monkeypox vaccine in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He expressed hope that the development will help to bring the outbreak under control in the region.
SOURCE: UN News
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Un hombre de 77 años fue encontrado muerto y flotando en una piscina de una residencia del sector Juncos del barrio Hato Arriba de Arecibo.
Según trascendió, el hombre, identificado como Israel Martínez Rodríguez, es el dueño de la residencia donde fue hallado.
Al momento, se desconoce la causa de la muerte por lo que será llevado hacia el Instituto de Ciencias Forenses.
El agente Héctor Román Luciano, del Precinto 107 Arecibo, investigó los hechos preliminarmente y la agente Rita Rosado, de la división Homicidios del Cuerpo Investigaciones Criminales de Arecibo, en unión al fiscal Luis Vega se hicieron a cargo de la indagación.
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Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is reassuring residents of the Scotland District that efforts are underway to tackle the plethora of issues affecting the area.
Speaking to residents at St Andrew Speaks town hall at the Alleyne School on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mottley acknowledged that plans to establish a Scotland District Authority have been on the back burner due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authority will run in conjunction with the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Project to undertake transformational works in the area which has been dogged by land slippage for decades.
“The Scotland District Authority must happen. The difficulties that we had coming into office, we went straight into an IMF programme and we went straight into rationalising the state-owned enterprises that was put on pause because of COVID, we are coming out of COVID now.
I have signalised that we have to look and keep on top of the rationalising of the state-owned enterprises of which a critical one is how we do with the Scotland District Authority and how we do with the rural area within the context of…the Scotland District,” said the Prime Minister.
The Government of Barbados signed a $230 million concessional loan agreement framework with the Chinese Government for the for the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Project.
Mottley also detailed plans to establish a Scotland District Revolving Fund for the residents to have access to finances in the event of the destruction of property due to wastewater issues or land slippage.
“The level of slippage that we are seeing in the Scotland District is such that we may have to create a Scotland District Revolving Fund in order to be able have persons access loans at low interest in order to be able to put in septic tanks,” Prime Minister Mottley remarked.
As residents detailed several issues such as poor accessibility, transportation, road and bridge conditions and lack of recreational facilities, Mottley also underscored the need to increase social services in the east.
“Regrettably, what we have seen over the last few decades is people moving out of St Andrew, St Joseph, of parts of St Peter largely because we have not carried the services to the people,” she indicated.
The Prime Minister added that Government has taken this trend in stride and kickstarted efforts to “bring services back to the Scotland District”.
“There is a planning programme for bringing services back to the Scotland District so that people will want to remain in the Scotland District living,” she emphasised.
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